Posted By: joan clark (24/03/2007 1:21:18 PM)
Comment: The General's Daughter and Chef Preston Dishman should have won "hands down"! Have you tried it ? It's the best around, check it out!

Posted By: MsSteak (21/03/2007 10:25:19 AM)
Comment: I was also suprised not to see Matthew Greenbaum of Underwood Bar and Bistro and Willowood Market on the list. Life goes on...

Posted By: Gary (20/03/2007 8:05:01 PM)
Comment: Where's Fabio Flagiello of Risibisi?

Posted By: cerdman (20/03/2007 4:52:42 PM)
Comment: I had the pleasure of working with Mark at Willi's Seafood and he definitely deserves it. Congrats, Mark.

Posted By: MsSteak (20/03/2007 11:49:43 AM)
Comment: HOORAY for MARK! I love ya man! And a BIG nod out to Mark's "gal friday/saturday/sunday/ect." Tracey Shepos! You guys ROCK my world! Literally ... So many great chefs here in the county. Congrats to all the vote getters.

Posted By: Josh from syrah (20/03/2007 11:32:19 AM)
Comment: Congratulations to all the chefs & especially to Mark. Thanks to everyone that voted for me !!!! This is a wonderful community of chefs & it's an honor to be in the top three. We are so lucky to be able to live in this county & cook in this "Chef's Playground."

Posted By: Regina (20/03/2007 11:01:54 AM)
Comment: Congratulations Mark. Josh certainly didn't mind losing to you. He respects your talent and loves your restaurants. Although losing by 4 votes was a bummer. I should have called my sisters (: Thank you for the flowers they were absolutely exquisite. Your note cracked us all up. This is a public thank you because everyone should know - you're one classy guy and a good friend as well as a talented chef. Love, Reg (Syrah Bistro) PS. We'll get you next time.....

Posted By: BiteClubHeather (20/03/2007 9:18:38 AM)
Comment: Here's my take on the ballot stuffing issue, because I know it frustrates some of you. This is not MY take on SoCo's best chef, it is a poll of what those of you who voted think. Do I realize that chefs who have mailing lists asked their friends/family/subscribers to vote for them? Absolutely. Here's the thing, though. People on those lists CHOSE to vote for those chefs. That tells me that they value their customers, reach out to the community and are well-liked. Do other chefs not do this? Sure. Absolutely. That's their call. But they had the exact same opportunity to 'stuff' the box along with everyone else. I will also say that yes, it was very apparent which chefs/restaurants asked people to write-in votes and who didn't. When I saw a huge push for one chef all in a row, it was obvious there was something going on. But again, this--at least in my mind--was a vote for a favorite chef in the county. Take it for what it is. Fun. Don't take it for what it is not...and that is a professional critique of the chefs and their ability. Having been a part of MANY 'Best Of' polls here in town, I'm frankly surprised that we didn't get more write-ins for the guys at Applebees and Outback. That's usually the way these things roll. So, there's that. It was a lot of fun to do this, and frankly, I think the results say a lot about the local goodwill toward the winners.

Posted By: saundra (20/03/2007 6:34:15 AM)
Comment: Gary Chu's in Santa Rosa is seving shark fin soup. Sharks are captured, their fins cut, then they are thrown back in to die of wounds or eaten by others. This is unacceptable and illegal here in the U.S. Please be responsible diners and don't order the soup, hopefully they will stop!

Posted By: ghetto gourmet (19/03/2007 10:17:07 PM)
Comment: there is nothing wrong with marketing to your list to let them know they should vote for you. the system only lets you vote once. I tried to vote for chef Keane more than once. eat well

Posted By: Paul Berg (19/03/2007 8:44:34 PM)
Comment: Don't kid yourself. Just like the "Best of.." ballots in the Bohemian or similar rags, the voting is influenced by stuffing the ballot box. in this case electronically. I received several emails urging me to write inDino Bugica of Santi Restaurant. I love their food, and subscribe to their "newsletter". Other top chefs don't bother with such marketing, so don't make it in the obviously biased voting.